I will be forwarding information regarding Wounded knee and the issues of
the US government turning it into a National Park.
Thank you all in advance for your interest and support of this. Please do
all you can to stop this.
The Murder of the Wind of Peace
It was the 29th day of the Moon of Popping Trees (December) in 1890. Peace
was sleeping within the warm winter wind under the murderous eyes of Gatling
and Hotchkiss guns, dug into the ridges the Lakota encampment. Chief
Standing Elk ("Bigfoot" was the name soldiers gave him), flying the flag of
truce within his encampment, was dying from pneumonia. His people were dying
from fear of the white soldiers who had come to take revenge for the defeat
of their unit, the 7th Cavalry, at Little Bighorn in The Moon When the
Chokecherries are Ripe (June) in 1876. All the soldiers needed was the
smallest excuse to begin the massacre. A single shot, according to a
reporter on the scene, was fired from the soldiers, and with that, the
smallest excuse was manufactured. When the rain of ammunition ceased, over
300 Lakota people lay dead from gunfire, cannonfire, or manual butchering
within the encampment and within adjacent ravines up to two miles away. The
dead were Lakota men who had been disarmed before the weapons fire began,
women, many with babes in arms or waiting to be born, and children The
soldiers walked away from their crime against humanity and left the dead
where they lay. That night, the sky cried snow and the warm winter wind of
peace was supplanted by the cold winter wind of grief. For four days, the
dead laid where they were, frozen into grotesque shapes of lifelessness.
Finally, the soldiers came and loaded the dead like cordwood in wagons, and
hauled their loads to hastily dug mass graves, where the dead were thrown in
- the bodies of men, women, and children whose spirits walked the encampment
and ravines, wailing. The mass graves were filled and the soldiers left.
Eighteen Congressional Medals of Honor for "bravery" were awarded to the
soldiers who participated in that heinous murder for their parts in fighting
the allegedly hostile "war parties" attacking them that day.
The spirits of the slain continue their walking and wailing. Red Willow in
great profusion, grown from the blood of all those who fell along the banks
of the creek that day, still grows thickly along Wounded Knee Creek. Peace
never again slept within the winds that blew along Wounded Knee Creek.
The Massacre of Wounded Knee became a symbol for my people, the Lakota
Nation, of the lies and deceit of the "Great White Father in Washington" and
the U.S. Government. Their words of encouragement and promises of help and
peace were seen for the malevolent intent hidden behind the facade. As more
and more land promised to us forever was taken away on the whims of Congress,
our place to live became smaller and our pain and confusion grew. The mass
graves at Wounded Knee became a symbol to us to never forget and never to
trust again. The voices of our slain relatives can still be heard, crying
out from soil, the waters, the air, and we vow time and time again to never
forget, to be strong, to help our nation heal and live well again.
Now the U.S. Government wants to take from us 1,800 acres (including "lands,
and all mineral rights, water rights, easements, permanent structures, and
fixtures on such land") to turn our sacred site, the burial grounds, and "the
historic landscape of Wounded Knee" into a national park. The government
claims that it wants to do this so that it can "express its commitment to
acknowledge and learn from our history, including the Wounded Knee Massacre,
in order to provide a proper foundation for building an ever more humane,
enlightened, and just society for the future (quoted from the enabling
legislation)." To do so, the U.S. Government wants to remove and relocate
any individuals and families living within that 1,800 acres and restore the
landscape to the government's vision of 1890 historical conditions. Any
buildings and fixtures currently within the 1,800 acres that are not found to
coincide with that vision will be destroyed. The government also wants to
build a visitors' center, an amphitheater, roads, and trails, and to relocate
the three main roads that intersect at the current Wounded Knee memorial and
one mass grave site. These activities are wholly inappropriate for a
cemetery and burial site and will disturb the spirits of the people buried
there.
The enabling legislation to create the national park was introduced
simultaneously to both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives on
February 9, 1995, by the Congressional Delegation from South Dakota. On
February 15, 1995, HR877 was referred to the House Subcommittee on National
Parks, Forests, and Lands, where it remains at this time. The Senate bill,
S382, was referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and the House
bill, HR877, was referred to the House Committee on Resources, where it
remains at this time. The opinions of the residents of Wounded Knee and the
members of the Wounded Knee Landowners Association were not solicited prior
to this bill being written or submitted, nor were we invited to or notified
of the one Congressional hearing that occurred on this issue.
We stand opposed to the creation of this national park for all of the reasons
given here and many others. We are asking you to help us in our fight to
save this sacred site from development. Please join your voice with ours in
opposing the creation of this national park. Write your representatives and
senators. Write the members of the Congressional committee and subcommittee
currently reviewing the bills. It is most effective to generate a large
number of brief e-mail postings or postal service letters that simply state
little more than the following: "Please vote NO to HR877/S382. Signed,
(your name, postal address, telephone number)." Write letters to the editor
of your local newspapers. For more information, please contact Pamela and
Gerald Ice, P.O. Box 199, Wounded Knee, SD, 57794, (605) 867-1591.
Pilamayayelo (Thank You)!
******************************************************************************
Wapaha Canku Luta, Inc.
P.O. Box 199
Wounded Knee, SD 57749-0199
Phone/Fax: (605) 867-1591
March 1, 1995
RE: Another Attempt by the U.S. Government to Reclaim Wounded Knee, South
Dakota
Dear _____:
We would like to bring to your attention yet another attempt by the United
States Government to subversively steal treaty lands from the Native
Americans. What makes this attempt even more shocking is that the lands
being taken are the sacred grounds of Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
Congressional bills S382 and HR877, introduced into Congress by Senators
Daschle and Pressler and Representative Johnson, all of South Dakota,
transfer ownership of the lands now comprising the Wounded Knee Lakota
Reservation to the United States Government. The reason given by the US
Government for taking over these lands is preserving an historic site as a
National Park. However, upon careful reading of the bills, it is apparent
that there are other more mundane reasons for the bill. If the sole reason
is preservation of the Native American lands in their "1890 conditions," why
are mineral and water rights included in the bill? Why are an unspecified
number of community members and landowners being told they will be relocated
to another unspecified site (with no mention of recompense as is legally
required in any and all eminent domain cases)? Will the graves and sites
that have no historical meaning but much cultural and religious (not to
mention personal) meaning be moved or destroyed? Will the families who are
planning to open small businesses in this the most impoverished area of our
country for the last TWO censuses be forced to give them up as there is no
private enterprise allowed on or around a National Park? A Cultural Center
to be built here at Wounded Knee, our most visible memorial, will not come
into existence if the land becomes a National Park. In other words, the real
reason behind these bills is money -- money in the form of valuable mineral
rights and possibly tourism dollars as more and more Americans become
interested in the history, religion and lore of the Lakotas.
The individual landowners and the Wounded Knee Landowners Association have
not been contacted by either the government agencies or the tribal council
about this situation. The voice of the people who will be most affected by
this bill has not been heard. That is about to change.
On Saturday and Sunday, March 25 and 26, the Wounded Knee Landowners
Association and the Wapaha Canku Luta, Inc., will hold a peaceful
demonstration at Wounded Knee. The purpose of the demonstration is to let
the government and the population know, first and foremost, about the bill's
existence and what it will mean to our people; secondly, that this Park is
not wanted by the people who live here; and thirdly, that the residents of
Wounded Knee will not give up their homes, their lives, without a fight. We
will start here at the Knee and then go to Washington, DC, to fight in courts
and Congress if necessary. Speakers at the March 25 and 26 demonstration
will include Leonard Crow Dog, Gerald Ice, Francis He Crow, Manson Garreaux,
Melvin Garreaux Sr., Jasper Spotted Elk, Walter Little Moon, Gene Poor Bear,
Neva Standing Bear, and Bernard Ice.
There have already been two bloody incidents at Wounded Knee -- a massacre of
Indians by the cavalry in the 1890's and a bloody standoff between the
Lakotas (Sioux) and FBI agents, US Marshals, tribal police, and all branches
of the US Armed Forces (except the Navy) in the 1970's. By arranging this
peaceful demonstration, we are trying to avoid a third incident.
We urge you to consider covering the demonstrations and reasons for it in
your program. We believe that both of us will benefit: we will receive the
national publicity our cause so desperately needs and you will get in on the
ground floor of a story that may reach historic proportions, enhance your
journalistic integrity, and in all probability, deliver great ratings to your
network.
For more information on the demonstration, the background of the Native
American point of view, Wounded Knee, the Landowners Association, or Wapaha
Canku Luta, please contact Gerald or Pamela Ice (605-867-1591), Tom Clifford
(605-867-1118), or Walter Little Moon (605-867-1015).
Even if you decide not to cover the story, please read the bills and let your
congressmen know your position and encourage others to also do so.
Very Truly Yours,
Pamela Ice Gerald Ice
******************************************************************************
TO:various
DATE:4/7/95
I am writing on behalf of my Lakota family and friends who live on the Pine
Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, specifically, the traditional community
members near Wounded Knee. There is a bill currently in committee in both
the US Senate and House that would turn our sacred memorial and site of
Wounded Knee into a national park, removing the land from the reservation,
and placing it in trust of the U.S. government. This is the site of and mass
burial from the 1890 massacre of over 300 innocent Lakota men, women, and
children by the 7th Cavalry, Custer's old unit, in retaliation for the defeat
handed Custer by the Lakota and Cheyenne Nations at Little Bighorn. We need
your help to make sure these bills are defeated, because we want to keep our
land, keep our memorial, keep our sacred place where many Lakota people come
to pray and remember. We do not want a national park, a visitor center, an
amphitheater, parking lots, and alot of traffic in this burial area,
disturbing the bones and spirits of our ancestors.
The Senate bill, S382, was sent to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.
The House bill, HR877, was sent to the House Committee on Resources. Both
bills were introduced February 9, 1995 by the congressional delegation from
South Dakota. The bills are being supported by the tribal councils, but not
by the residents and traditional members of Wounded Knee Community nor the
reservation in general. In fact, the traditional members and residents were
not even consulted prior to these bills being introduced, yet these residents
will be the ones most impacted, and some will even lose their land and
homesites to the national park.
Please join your voice to ours. I can send you more information if you would
like. Below are the names and addresses (including e-mail where available)
of the Senate and House committee members. Please write to them and your own
congressmen and ask them to oppose these bills.
Pilamaya (thank you)!
Black Eagle
******************************************************************************
SENATE COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS (17 members):
John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman, 111 Russell Senate Office Building, Wash, D.C.,
20510
Frank Murkowski (R-AK), 706 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.,
20510
Slade Gorton (R-WA), 730 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510
(Senator_Gorton@gorton.senate.gov)
Pete Domenici (R-NM), 328 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.,
20510
Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R-KS), 302 Russell Senate Office Building, Wash,
D.C., 20510
Don Nickles (R-OK), 133 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510
Craig Thomas (R-WY), B34 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.,
20510
Orrin Hatch (R-UT), 135 Russell Senate Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20510
Paul Coverdell (R-GA), 200 Russell Senate Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20510
(senator_coverdell@coverdell.senate.gov)
Daniel Inouye (D-HI, Ranking Democrat), 722 Hart Senate Office Building,
Washington, D.C., 20510
Kent Conrad (D-ND), 724 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510
Harry Reid (D-NV), 324 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510
Paul Simon (D-IL), 462 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 2051
(senator@simon.senate.gov)
Daniel Akaka (D-HI), 720 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510
Paul Wellstone (D-MN), 717 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.,
20510 (senator@wellstone.senate.gov)
Byron Dorgan (D-ND), 713 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510
Ben Nighthorse Campbell (D-CO), 380 Russell Senate Office Building, Wash,
D.C., 20510
******************************************************************************
U.S. HOUSE COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES (45 members) (resource@hr.house.gov):
NOTE: NPFLSub - Serves on Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and
Lands)
NAIASub - Serves on Subcommittee on Native American and Insular Affairs
Don Young (R-AK), Chairman, 2331 Rayburn House Office Building, Wash, D.C.,
20515 (NOTE: NAIASub)
James Hansen (R-UT), 2331 Rayburn House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NPFLSub chairman)
H. James Saxton (R-NJ), 339 Cannon House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
Elton Gallegly (R-CA), 2441 Rayburn House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NAIASub Chairman)
John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-TN), 2400 Rayburn House Office Building, Wash, D.C.,
20515 (NOTE: NPFLSub)
Joel Hefley (R-CO), 2351 Rayburn House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NPFLSub)
John Doolittle (R-CA), 1526 Longworth House Office Building, Wash, D.C.,
20515 (NOTE: NPFLSub)
Wayne Allard (R-CO), 422 Cannon House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NPFLSub)
Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), 332 Cannon House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NAIASub)
Ken Calvert (R-CA), 1034 Longworth House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
Richard Pombo (R-CA)1519 Longworth House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NPFLSub)
Peter Torkildsen (R-MA),120 Cannon House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NPFLSub)
J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ), 1023 Longworth House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NPFLSub)
Frank Cremans (R-OH), 1107 Longworth House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
Barbara Cubin (R-WY), 1114 Longworth House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NPFLSub)
Wes Cooley (R-OR), 1609 Longworth House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NPFLSub)
Helen Chenoweth (R-ID), 1719 Longworth House Office Building, Wash, D.C.,
20515 (NOTE: NPFLSub)
Linda Smith (R-WA), 1217 Longworth House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(asklinda@hr.house.gov) (NOTE: NPFLSub)
George Radanovich (R-CA), 313 Cannon House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NPFLSub)
Walter Jones, Jr. (R-NC), 214 Cannon House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NAIASub)
William Thornberry (R-TX), 1535 Longworth House Office Building, Wash, D.C.,
20515
Richard Hastings (R-WA),1229 Longworth House Office Building, Wash, D.C.,
20515 (NOTE: NAIASub)
Jack Metcalf (R-WA), 507 Cannon House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NAIASub)
James Longley, Jr. (R-ME), 226 House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NAIASub)
John Shadegg (R-AZ), 503 House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515 (NOTE:
NPFLSub)
George Miller (D-CA, Ranking Democrat), 2205 Rayburn House Office Building,
Wash, D.C., 20515 (gmiller@hr.house.gov)
Nick Rahall (D-WV), 2269 Rayburn House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NPFLSub)
Bruce Vento (D-MN), 2304 Rayburn House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(vento@hr.house.gov) (NOTE: NPFLSub)
Dale Kildee (D-MI), 2187 Rayburn House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NPFLSub) (NOTE: NAIASub)
Mr. Pat Williams (D-MT), 2329 Rayburn House Office Building, Wash, D.C.,
20515 (NOTE: NPFLSub) (NOTE: NAIASub)
Sam Gejdenson (D-CT), 2416 Rayburn House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(bozrah@hr.house.gov)
Bill Richardson (D-NM), 2209 Rayburn House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NPFLSub, Ranking Majority Leader)
Pete DeFazio (D-OR), 2134 Rayburn House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(pdefazio@hr.house.gov)
Mr. Eni Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa), 2422 Rayburn House Office Building,
Wash, D.C., 20515 (NOTE: NPFLSub) (NOTE: NAIASub Ranking Majority Leader)
Tim Johnson (D-SD), 2438 Rayburn House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NAIASub)
Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), 1233 Longworth House Office Building, Wash, D.C.,
20515
Mr. Gerry Studds (D-MA), 237 Cannon House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NPFLSub)
W.J. Tauzin (D-LA), 2183 Rayburn House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
Solomon Ortiz (D-TX), 2136 Rayburn House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
Cal Dooley (D-CA), 1227 Longworth House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
Carlos Romero-Barcelo (D-Puerto Rico), 428 Cannon House Office Building,
Wash, D.C., 20515 (NOTE: NPFLSub) (NOTE: NAIASub)
Nathan Deal (D-GA), 1406 Longworth House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
(NOTE: NPFLSub)
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), 1524 Longworth House Office Building, Wash, D.C.,
20515 (NOTE: NPFLSub)
Robert Underwood (D-Guam), 424 Cannon House Office Building, Wash, D.C.,
20515 (NOTE: NPFLSub) (NOTE: NAIASub)
Sam Farr (D-CA), 1117 Longworth House Office Building, Wash, D.C., 20515
"The honor of one is the honor of all. The defeat of one is the defeat of
all. Don't let a defeat make you disappear. It is important to remember our
life is a gift from the Creator and what we do with our life is our gift to
the Creator." -- Makoce Tekihila (Billy Mills), Oglala Lakota. Mitakuye
Oyasin!